Legal Counsel

About the Organization

We (The Children's Investment Fund Foundation) are an independent philanthropic organisation, with offices in Addis Ababa, Beijing, London, Nairobi and New Delhi. We work with a range of partners seeking to transform the lives of children and adolescents. Partnerships are critical, because it will take the combined efforts of many to tackle urgently the challenges faced by children and their families every day. We have no religious or political affiliation. Our programmes are designed to support bold ideas to solve seemingly intractable problems.

We know that the returns on smart investments in areas such as children’s early development and adolescent girls are especially high. So we aim to play a catalytic role as a funder and influencer to deliver urgent and lasting change at scale.

Job Description

The CIFF Legal team supports the organisation in its grant making activities and partnerships, as well as providing advice on a range of compliance and regulatory matters (e.g. charity law and data protection). The team also advises on programme-specific issues, ranging from compliance with regulatory restrictions to intellectual property advice, as well as being responsible for the administrative/company secretarial needs of the organisation. This includes risk reviews, insurances, local legal filings etc.

This is an exciting opportunity for a new Legal Counsel to join CIFF in its Delhi office. You will report to the Senior Legal Counsel, but will work with other members of the larger legal team as needed.  

Job Responsibilities

• Drafting contracts and negotiating with CIFF’s grantee and partner organisations in children’s development and climate change, as well as related activities (monitoring and evaluation contracts, consultants).
• Advising and supporting on other legal matters as needed, including governance, compliance, data protection, and safeguarding.
• Tracking relevant legal updates as applicable to the foundation and it’s partners in implementation of programmes in India including under FCRA, FEMA, data protection law and Companies Act.
• Managing external counsel in the provision of advice and training/ know-how where appropriate.
• Advising on appropriate legal structures for providing funding to grantees.
• Conducting legal due diligence on CIFF India’s proposed grantees/ partners.
• Building and managing relationships with other key stakeholders including programme, IT, HR, Finance, Comms and Partnership teams.
• Supporting the Senior Legal Counsel in maintaining an appropriate compliance framework and record retention to manage and mitigate legal risk.
• Ad hoc legal advice on a variety of matters relating to programme issues, legal and regulatory concerns, programme governance issues, conflicts of interest, commercial contracts and consultancy contracts.
• Contribute to legal process improvements that enhance efficiency and risk management.
• Willing to drive change, improve processes and generally make colleagues more aware of the importance of legal issues. Work with all aspects of a rapidly growing organisation.
• Serve as an active member of the Legal team, collaborate with other members of the Legal team and foundation personnel as appropriate.

Membership of the team

• This role does not hold line management responsibility, but we expect all employees to demonstrate good leadership behaviours; this includes adopting a coaching approach with colleagues to help build skills, confidence, and capability in particular areas, processes or procedures.
• As required, support on the planning and coordination of inductions for new joiners to the team.
• We operate a matrix structure, so the reporting lines can vary between specific aspects of the role.

Education Qualification/Required Skills & Experience

• India qualified lawyer
• Proven experience of working in a similar high-pace legal environment, preferably within the not-for-profit sector
• Experience of a range of practical legal issues, including corporate, commercial contracts, regulatory issues and corporate governance
• Experience in drafting, negotiating and execution of a wide array of agreements including grant agreements, service agreements, non-disclosure agreements and consultancy contracts
• Dynamic, willing to learn, self-starter, comfortable in a relatively unstructured environment with new and varied challenges
• Commitment to charity or not-for-profit sector and an interest in areas of work CIFF is involved in
• Strong research and communication skills
• Strong organisational skills and ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• A demonstratable interest in improving children’s lives and climate change
• Understanding of relevant programming in CIFF’s priority impact areas
• Demonstrates professional, sound judgement; can think critically, objectively and strategically
• Strong interpersonal skills – engages with others to get the best out of them and works well as part of a team
• Effective organisational and project management skills; able to be flexible as priorities and needs change, and works well under pressure
• English is CIFF’s business language – we expect all of our people to display good verbal and written communication skills across all aspects of their role
• Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximise effectiveness
• IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word and Outlook)
• Ability to work well independently; a motivated self-starter, with good initiative and problem-solving skills
• Adaptable to various cultural, geographic, and operational environments; demonstrates cultural sensitivity with diverse individuals.

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